It is generally known to those skilled in the art that non-uniform face-thickness reduction of a golf club head at selected locations increase the amount of available discretionary mass, which is the difference between the target mass of the club head and the minimum mass required to form a head having the requisite structural integrity. The additional discretionary mass may then be beneficially distributed throughout the club head to lower the center of gravity, thus creating optimal ball-launch conditions, and to increase the moment of inertia, improving club-head stability during off-center ball impacts. Moreover, variable club-face thickness may advantageously limit the reduction of average face compliance of the club head.
To achieve the benefits described above, manufacturers commonly produce club heads with faces having pronounced thickness variations. However, since club faces typically comprise exotic materials, such as high-performance titanium alloys, and because face contouring requires intricate machining operations, a substantial reduction in localized face thickness is generally associated with increased material and processing costs.